Teaching to Different Cultures

Hello all,

Right now the Renton Highlands are good, although things could always be better. On the upside, we do actually have 2 investigators that ARE progressing and keeping commitments. On the downside, we have no one on-date for baptism. But hopefully soon.

 

We are teaching two separate Vietnamese people. Bronson is a 20 year old college student. I think I have told you about him already. We had an amazing lesson with him last week. Although we weren't really able to meet with him last week, he did come to Church and liked it! He continues to read the Book of Mormon and pray and told us that he wants to come back next week!

 

Thao was a referral that our zone leaders met at a bus stop a few weeks ago. We have taught him a few times, although all we have done is read through the Book of Mormon, pamphlets and watched The Restoration DVD with him in Vietnamese because he doesn't speak really any English. But he can feel the spirit and I think that he does understand our message because of the things we have given him in the language. He is still thinking about being baptized by Priesthood authority, but for now continues to read and pray.

 

It really is neat being here in Seattle. Although I'm not in a foreign mission, I still do get to teach people from all over the world and do get to see a glimpse into their culture. I counted it up the other day and over my mission I have taught people from about 12 different countries. It's actually pretty neat. 

 

Friday was actually kind of a bad day. It was rainy and no one we were supposed to teach that day was home. At the end of the day we went to go see a lady named Wendy that had been somewhat of an investigator for a while. She is the lady that we gave the Book of Mormon to a few weeks ago during the snow storm in THIS LETTER and committed her to read it. We went back to see how she liked it. Well, she didn't really understand what the book was saying. We told her about how us as missionaries can help her understand it better, but she said she was too busy and insisted that we take back the Book of Mormon because she doesn't "want to see a book on my bookshelf and be frustrated that [she] can't read." She then showed us a picture story Bible that she reads to her son and says that it is how she likes to understand the Bible. So we basically left on an "I'll call you when I have time" sort of deal which will probably never happen. I was really shocked because I have never had anything happen like that before! But it's all good now because I know that God will place someone else in our path.

 

Things are good and the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

God's Timing

Hello all,

 

Well, we had an okay week. As always, there were some disappointments, like when your investigators don't come to the door when the members are there to pick them up, or when appointments fall through, but that is all part of missionary work. We do rely on the agency of others, which is kind of a bummer sometimes, but it is God's way.

 

We did have a neat experience this week though, which I think did make up for some of the disappointments. Like on Thursday we had a lesson with a 19 year old guy named Bronson. He is from Vietnam. So we started out the lesson. It went all sorts of places and it wasn't quite going the way we wanted it to go. About half-way through the lesson I was prompted to ask an inspired question, which also happens to be one of the baptismal interview questions, "Do you believe that God is your loving Father in Heaven?" "I'm Skeptical," was his reply. So we spent the remaining time helping him understand the nature of God. We talked about feeling the spirit and I asked him if he felt he had ever felt the spirit. He wasn't sure and so I asked him what it was that made him say "yes"to the missionaries that contacted him at the bus stop. He had felt overwhelming peace, which I testified was God speaking to him. He understood that God could speak through our thoughts and feelings and so we invited him to pray and listen to the spirit whisper after it. As he did the spirit was overwhelming. He now believes in God and wants to learn more.

 

I learned a few things from that lesson. I learned again that God is in control and that I have to rely on him throughout all lessons so I can help those I teach feel the spirit. I also learned more about God's timing. We tracted that one apartment building weeks ago because we felt we should. After he was the only one that was home out of the 15 doors we knocked on we decided to leave to another complex. But it was all part of God's plan. Who would have known that weeks later he would say "yes" to other missionaries and allow us to teach him. Only God did.

 

I have learned a lot in this area and I am glad to stay here. This experience was just another testament that the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Progress in the Highlands!

Hello all,

 

Well, its transfers once again and I'm staying here in the Highlands! This area has really become one of my favorites! There are some really great members here that love and support our missionary efforts. My New companion is Elder Merrill, from Mesa Arizona. I will say though that I was sad to see Elder Dale leave. Together we built up the Renton Highlands and somehow have sparked excitement in missionary work "that the ward hasn't felt in 6 years" one member told us. Plus they trust the missionaries here now! So we need to continue to work hard and keep it up! It is really cool!

 

We did have an okay week. We both felt like one of us was leaving so we said a lot of goodbyes. But we did have a few cool experiences. We were tracting a neighborhood that we have been in lately. It was cold and somewhat rainy, but we felt like we should keep on going. Eventually we met Shannon, a 30 year old lady that had been to our church a lot as a youth with a family in another ward and has read part of the BOM. Her sister converted about 2 years ago. We were excited when she said that her family had been talking about going back to a church and she invited us to come back. So we'll see where she goes. 

 

We also got a referral named Molly, a 20 year old girl that the Zone Leaders met at the bus station. So we called her Saturday night and invited her to Church and loved it! She even came to a single adult potluck with many single adults in the area held at our amazing ward missionaries house. Unfortunately she doesn't live in our area's boundaries so we passed her off to the sister missionaries there, but she is planning to get baptized soon!

 

So things are going okay. Although I haven't yet seen someone baptized in this ward I still do see progress in the fact that the ward trusts missionaries here and sees that there are people here to teach. And I feel like that is a good accomplishment.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer